Presidency trio pledges to work together in digital age

Luxembourg PM Xavier Bettel on Thursday met Italian Premier Matteo Renzi, as well as telecommunications ministers from Italy and Latvia to discuss how representatives can work together on current issues during their EU presidencies and be at the forefront of Internet governance.

(HRW) Luxembourg PM Xavier Bettel on Thursday met Italian Premier Matteo Renzi, as well as telecommunications ministers from Italy and Latvia to discuss how representatives can work together on current issues during their EU presidencies and be at the forefront of Internet governance.

On the agenda were also bilateral relations and current issues surround European and international politics, discussed by Bettel and Renzi at their meeting in Rome.

The ministers agreed to stay in close contact during their presidency trio of the Council of the European Union, consisting of Latvia also, and to work together on the challenges that concern the 28 member countries.

The need to fight youth unemployment was seen as a priority, with Bettel commenting: "The fight against youth unemployment is not only a challenge for the government at the national level, but also a priority at European level. The European Youth Guarantee initiative is an important element in the overall effort."

An emphasis was also put on the current situation in Ukraine, and both parties stressed that the European Union must both maintain dialogue and take responsibility.

Minister of Communications and Media

In his capacity as Minister of Communications and Media, Xavier Bettel also attended a meeting with Italian and Latvian counterparts to discuss priorities regarding telecommunications, information technology and communication.

The PM met with the current Italian Deputy State Secretary for Economic Development in charge of telecommunications, Antonello Giacomelli, and the Latvian Minister of Transport and Telecommunications, Anrijs Mattis.

All ministers stressed the importance of a common and coordinated approach in the organisation of work of the Council over the period of the next eighteen months.

Bettel congratulated his Italian colleague for putting digital matters at the center of his presidency, providing "important levers and opportunities for both our citizens and our businesses."

Governance of the Internet was readily addressed by the Italian presidency as an area where the EU should play a leading role on an international scale. The Luxembourg Prime Minister and his Latvian colleague concurred that a clear and strong political message must be sent by the Union on the "multi-stakeholder" model of Internet governance.

Cyber Security

Cybersecurity was held of utmost importance by the three ministers. The objective of the Italian presidency to form a policy aimed at strengthening cybersecurity across the European Union was agreed by all sides.

Bettel recognised its importance stating: "We are only as strong as our weakest link."

Finally, it was proposed that the European Commission should continue working on creating a single market for telecommunications, with the three ministers pledging to cooperate in the search for a compromise.